


Animals Know Best

by NekoAbi



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Animal Companions, M/M, Yes this is the second time I've written something with the BatB musical, dragon - Freeform, fight me, mention of fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-16 04:22:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19310539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoAbi/pseuds/NekoAbi
Summary: Virgil is yet to find his soulmate and he doesn’t believe the old wives’ tale of their animal companions leading them to the soulmate. Patton decides that Virgil needs some relaxation time and takes them somewhere special.





	Animals Know Best

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [ Not-So-Innocent-Bi-Sander](https://not-so-innocent-bi-sander.tumblr.com/)'s (aka Dramatic Garbage here on AO3) Birthday, since I knew she loves Soulmate AUs and Prinxiety!

Virgil Addams let out a silent breath as he began to walk down the street away from his apartment building. His head was down, looking towards the pavement as he avoided the eye contact of everyone around him. This didn’t stop all of it, however.

Accompanying almost every person he passed were their animal companions, most being those something someone could take outdoors without having to worry about it. Various dogs, cats, wolves and other four-legged animals caught his eye as they passed Virgil. All of them almost seemed to be analysing him for a second before their paths split. It wasn’t uncommon, and Virgil had grown used to the scrutinising from the animals.

Virgil always chose to leave his own pet at home, as he was always worried that it would fly off somewhere and he’d have no way to catch it, or that it’d set fire to someone or something in public again. Well, that and he really didn’t believe in the old superstition.

For years, his grandmother had told him the old fairy tales and stories of couples who met because their animals had led them to each other and how they’d lived happily ever after. It was something ingrained in every child from a young age, even being told to them in pre-school when they were learning to read. They were always told to simply let the animal that chooses you take you to the one who is made for you. But Virgil had seen several animal-soulmate couples break off horribly; both in his own family and in those he was passively aware of, all of which had broken that child-like wonder and belief in the old superstition.

He did try to not be too cynical, but it was difficult considering he’d yet to even have an idea of who his soulmate could possibly be. Virgil sighed to himself, pushing the anxious thoughts away as his destination came into view. ‘ _Well, maybe not all couples I know…_ ’ Virgil’s lip twitched as the thought crossed his mind after knocking at the front door.

From inside, a sudden loud barking and scratching of claws on hardwood reached Virgil’s ears and the man couldn’t help that his small smile widened significantly at the sound.  It was only a second after the lock clicked and the door swung open that Virgil’s arms were filled by a fluffy mound of excitable fur, the head of which began to attack his face with licks and nuzzles.

“Faraday. Down. Sit.”

The dog, after a final lick at his face, dropped back down to the floor and sat at Virgil’s feet, looking up at him, panting happily. Behind the dog stood one of Virgil’s best friends since childhood, shaking his head.

“I apologise, Virgil. She still gets far too excited to see people.” Logan apologised, giving the still happy dog a gentle scolding look.

Virgil chuckled, brushing some of the fur off of himself, “Lo, you always say sorry for her. You know I don’t mind.” He reached down and petted the dog’s head, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

“Yes, well.” Logan adjusted his glasses with a slight clearing of his throat, a well-known gesture of his embarrassment. “Faraday, inside. Please come in and join us, Virgil.”

The man followed the request and followed the two into the house. After hanging up his outer most layer, Logan initiated a simple conversation as they wandered through into the sitting area. It was once he was standing just next to the sofa that Virgil was accosted once more.

“Virgie! Hi! I’m so happy you could make it today!”

Virgil immediately felt water seeping into his shirt, “Pat, hands.”

“Oh, whoopsie! I forgot again! Sorry!” Patton let him go and practically skipped over to the tank at the side of the room to dry his hands on the towel he retrieved from the drawer. Patton began to ask more expected questions; how his life was going and how work was, the usual. Even after all the years of knowing Patton, his animal still confused Virgil and distracted him somewhat. Especially once it started to attempt yet another escape act.

Virgil opened his mouth to alert his friend, but Patton was already far ahead of him. “Hey, we just finished play time _and_ feeding time. You know you’re not supposed to get out!” He gathered up the tentacles of the animal and put it back into its tank, sealing all possible exits well. Patton then wiped his hands again whilst giggling, “He always seems to want to escape when you’re around, Virgil. I think Squiddly really likes you!”

Beside him, Virgil heard a soft, long-suffering sigh from the other man in the room and he couldn’t help that he wanted to grin. He approached the tank and peered in at the octopus, watching its movements lazily, “You just get distracted, Pat. We all know that.” Patton only grinned wider and laughed in response.

The three of them took seats and relaxed, while something generic played on the TV between them. It was comfortable and normal, but Virgil still couldn’t help the nagging in his brain as he looked at his two friends happily cuddled together on their sofa in their home.

Patton and Logan had been Virgil’s first friends and they’d all been inseparable as kids. It was inevitable that something would come along to change the dynamic and Virgil was already aware of this at such a young age. So, when his two best friends turned out to be soulmates with each other, Virgil was just waiting for the moment the two of them left him alone to be together. He waited and waited, through elementary school and middle school. It was only in high school, when he’d handed Patton a ripped page from his diary instead of the homework he wanted him to look over, that Virgil finally seemed to grasp the idea that neither of his friends were going to drop him just because they were soulmates. It still didn’t stop Virgil from feeling a little left out.

“Virge… It’s okay, you’ll find them when its right.” Patton’s soft voice broke Virgil out of his reverie.

The dark-clad man huffed playfully, turning away from his friends, “Yeah, yeah, I know. You tell me all the time… Still kinda sucks though…” His fingers were running through the soft fur of Faraday, who’d curled up on the sofa beside him.

A long silence stretched through the room before Patton jumped to his feet, determination blazing in his eyes. “Right! We’re doing something great for your birthday!”

Both Logan and Virgil shared a confused look at the unprompted statement.

“Patton, where did that even come from?” Logan asked, nursing the slightly red patch on his cheek that his partner had accidentally hit during his sudden burst of movement.

“We’ll do something that will get Virgil’s mind off of everything! Something with just the three of us! Like old times!” Patton said, excitedly.

And that was how, a week after, Virgil found himself sat between his two best friends in the front row seat of the circle in their local theatre. If he was honest with himself, he could barely remember even getting to his current location or what they were even supposed to be seeing. Theatre was never something that he’d shown an interest in, so Virgil had to ask just what Patton’s intention was in bringing him here.

Patton merely smiled and gestured across to Logan, which was apparently the signal for the other man to begin spewing information toward him. “You see, upon researching various forms of entertainment that are used for escapism, watching a theatrical production stood out to both of us for its lack of connection to romantic excursions.” Logan continued to spew information at Virgil, but he was boiling it down to its main points in his head, rather than linger on every six-syllable word that was mostly unnecessary.

Logan was part-way through an explanation of how the darkened theatre during the production’s performance was a benefit to the escapism ideal when the lights in the audience began to dim, thankfully cutting him off.

The obligatory “turn off all phones” message boomed from the speakers hung around the stage space, followed shortly by the introductory music as the stage lights came up, making the fairly simple set visible to the entire audience.

Virgil hunched in on himself slightly as he glanced between his friends. Of course, Patton would want to bring him to a musical, they were the only two people in the entire world that knew about his secret love for them, specifically the Disney variety. The introduction with the booming narration was so unmistakable, as was the music.

The show continued, with Virgil slowly letting himself enjoy the production. Sure, it may have been a little low budget, but the singing was fantastic, and the familiar characters, locations and story were managing to pull Virgil in. He was eagerly awaiting the introduction of the next character, as they’d been hidden from the audience for the most part throughout the entirety of the first art so far.

The heroine stood centre stage, just in the edge of a shaped bright white light. “Come into the light…” She said, her voice being just the right amount of cautious. The other character moved, sliding into the light and showing off his costumed form to the crowd, causing some of the younger in the crowd to gasp.

Virgil, for some reason, immediately felt something deep down at the introduction of the supposedly-monstrous character. He couldn’t explain it, but he was entranced. Maybe it had something to do with the handsome face that could be seen under the clearly peeling attempt at a prosthetic, grotesque mask. Perhaps it was the voice that, while evoking the iconic character the actor was portraying, still held obvious hints to the true person beneath. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but Virgil wasn’t really trying. He just wanted to see more of him.

As the first act was coming to a close, Virgil felt his entire body inflate with a heavy intake of breath. The heroine ran off, screaming about how she wanted to get out of the castle she’d been staying in, while the monster reached out after her, somehow conveying intense sadness through the still-masked face. Virgil knew what was coming as soon as the first note played.

The rest of the world fell away as he focused entirely on the man singing so beautifully on stage in front of him. His voice was entrancing, almost putting Virgil under a spell that he never wanted to break out from. The emotion was reaching him so deeply, causing tears to well in his eyes that threatened to spill at any moment. Virgil almost felt like his heart was increasing in size in his chest as he watched and listened. It was utterly perfect.

“Virgil?” Something was shaking his shoulder, bringing him back to reality.

Virgil turned to see Patton looking at him with a sunny grin, the house lights now being back up as the interval had begun. His face immediately bloomed a deep red as he was aware he’d been caught in his intense focus.

“So, you’re enjoying it, right?” Patton asked, excitedly turning almost a full 90 degrees in his seat to look at his companions.

“Uh, yeah, its… really cool.” Virgil awkwardly coughed out.

Patton’s face lit up and he threw his arms around his friend, hugging him tightly, “Yay! I’m so glad! I really wanted you to like it, Virgie!”

A hand pried Patton’s arms off of Virgil’s shoulders, “Patton, careful. You’re smothering him again.”

“Oops! Sorry!”

The interval passed with the three of them talking amongst themselves, which helped Virgil relax. Neither of them had said a word about his trance at the end of the first act. Virgil hoped with all of his might that it could be mistaken for a simple lack of awareness or something else. When the house lights began to dim once more, the man’s heartrate spiked. He was determined to not let the same thing happen.

The second act passed with little problems, until the final scene. The monster was fatally injured, the heroine cradling his body in her arms. She proclaimed her love for him, practised sobs falling from her lips as the creature went lifeless. But then his body rose in the air, lights and sounds came in waves that heightened the atmosphere. Eventually, at the climax of the music, the creature’s robes fell away to reveal an utterly gorgeous man. He was clearly the one who’d been portraying the hideous being throughout the course of the production, but now his face was free for all to see. And Virgil was taking it all in.

He was a spectacle to behold, that was something Virgil was sure of. He seemed muscular, but not extremely so, just enough to give the impression of strength, even from a distance. The beautiful green eyes shone under the stage lights, as did the dazzling grin. The man’s face was just… perfection. There was nothing else Virgil could use to describe the man in front of him, and he doubted he’d ever use the word to describe anyone else afterwards.

In no time at all, Virgil found himself walking out of the theatre doors back into the street. Patton was chatting away happily about the show, excitedly recounting his favourite parts and asking the others for their input. They were about to head off to grab some dinner, when a commotion just next to them caught their attention. A few surprised yells and the unforgettable sound of featherless wings flapping had all three whipping around just in time for a miniature dragon to circle their small group.

“What are you doing out?! I left you at home!” Virgil harshly whispered. The small dragon simply breathed out a puff of smoke in response, which only got Virgil to set his jaw and widen his eyes in pure frustration. “We’re going home. Sorry guys…” He shot an apologetic glance to his friends before reaching out for the animal.

However, it seemed the dragon had different ideas as it slipped through Virgil’s fingers as he attempted to grab a hold of it. It let out a quiet screech before flying off round into a dark alleyway next to the theatre.

Virgil was quick to give chase. “SHADE! GET BACK HERE!” He sprinted off down the alleyway with no warning, which meant he left his two friends to catch up to him eventually. Each time he was close to losing sight of the red-scaled dragon, a small lick of fire burst from her mouth, lighting his way. He rounded a couple of corners before he found himself at a fairly inconspicuous door that had light pouring from it. Virgil stopped, resting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

His eyes were trained on his pet, who was currently sat very calmly on the back of a jet-black cat, who was equally as calm. The cat carefully padded over to Virgil and began to rub herself against his ankles, weaving in-between them as it did so. Shade did not move the entire time.

“What the hell…?” Virgil said to himself as he bent down further towards the cat. He went to reach for his own pet, but the cat intercepted his hand and knocked the top of its head against it. Before Virgil could even pull his hand away, the light from the door was blocked and a loud voice filled the space.

“There you are, Princess! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! You know you shoul-”

The stranger’s words were cut off as Virgil looked up with wide, fearful eyes and caught his gaze.

Virgil began to panic. It was him. The gorgeous man from the play. He was here, in front of him, and he’d been inadvertently interacting with this animal that might have been his. What if the man got the wrong idea, or what if Virgil was getting the wrong idea. There was no way this man could be-

“She’s never friendly like that with anyone besides me…” The stranger spoke quietly. He crouched down opposite Virgil and reached out towards the dragon riding his cat, allowing the animal to instruct him on how to properly pet her. He scratched at the side of her face as if he’d been doing it his whole life, and Virgil was suddenly feeling a small bubble of hope rising in his stomach.

When Shade squawked when the stranger pulled his hand back, Virgil was quick to apologise, “I-I’m sorry about her… She’s a little brat.”

An absolutely enchanting laugh fell from the man’s lips as he reached back in to scratch Shade once more. “It’s no problem. I have my own little brat down here.” The cat seemed to understand the insult immediately as she meowed loudly in protest.

“I hope I’m not being too forward, but I think you may be important.” The stranger’s attention was now fully on Virgil, his green eyes boring deep into his and twinkling with a sense of mischief. It unnerved and somehow excited Virgil deep down.

“I’m not important.” Virgil replied on instinct.

“I don’t know. Princess seems to think you are.” The stranger’s voice had lowered to a quieter volume. It almost transported Virgil away, as if he could feel the conversation having moved to a much more fitting location instead of a dark alleyway next to a theatre. “She wouldn’t have allowed you to touch her if you weren’t. I think… we might be soulmates.”

Virgil’s face immediately exploded into a deep blush as the words were said aloud. He dropped his head and tried to search for something to say in response that wouldn’t be utterly stupid or ruin everything immediately. It was only when a hand appeared in his vision that he returned to looking at the man in front of him, who was now standing.

“May I ask for your name?”

“Uh… Virgil…” The man responded, instinctively taking the hand before him. The actor helped Virgil back up to full height and absolutely refused to let go of his hand once he’d gotten there. Virgil almost wanted to pull away, but the comforting touch of the other man’s hand was wonderful. There was also something that could have been a spark of challenge in his eyes, but Virgil was almost sure it was just his imagination. He felt like he was coming back to himself.

After a decently long silence, Virgil quirked an eyebrow and deadpanned, “What? Aren’t you going to share too or are we stuck here?” He nodded down to their joined hands.

“I’ll share once you tell me I’m right or you let go now and never find out.”

“…Right about what?”

“Us, being soulmates.”

“What about if you let go first?”

The actor considered it for a moment, “It’s not like I’d ever do such a thing, but I suppose I could tell  you then if I did…”

There it was again. The challenge in his eyes. Virgil tilted his head to the side and regarded the man, looking him up and down for a moment as if considering the idea.

“Nah.”

The stranger was taken aback for a moment, “What?”

“I don’t feel like telling you you’re right.”

“Well, then you won’t know who I am. Guess you have to let go.”

“Like I’m letting go first.”

A dramatic sigh, “I suppose we’ll be here forever then, at an impasse, unable to break this connection of flesh. We’ll wither away and die here, as people eventually forget about the two of us and we’ll be the only two left in the- AH!”

The man let go of Virgil in order to shield himself from the incoming dive that Shade performed just in front of him, cutting off his dramatics at the same time.

Virgil could only smirk, crouching back down to pet the cat who was still rubbing around his ankles, “Looks like you’ve gotta share now.”

The stranger pouted and crossed his arms, “That’s unfair. You cheated! But I guess I’ll indulge you this time.” He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a very small pad of paper and a pencil, scrawling something down, “My name is Roman… and this-” He ripped the page from the pad and pushed it into Virgil’s hand, “-is my number. The show finishes its run in three days. Call me then. Princess, come in.”

With that, the str- Roman sauntered back into the theatre with Princess at his heels. Virgil slowly rose back up to his full height and stared at the paper in his hands, while Shade came to rest on his shoulder.

“Virgil! Virgil! Oh, my gosh! Are, are you, okay?!” Patton’s breathless voice came from behind him. “We came, running, after you, once you left. But, you’re, so fast.”

“Too fast.” Logan emphasised, also sounding out of breath, but less so than his partner, “You managed to, catch up to her then?”

“Yeah, and I, uh… got this.” Virgil held the paper towards the two of them, still a little unable to believe what had happened. That was until Patton let out a shrill shriek and happily jumped up a down.

“YOU FOUND YOUR SOULMATE?!”


End file.
